Squiddles!

What now seems like a very long time ago, I developed some characters for a show called "The Pirate Stanley Show." I am pleased to say that I have finally begun in earnest to bring these characters to life. The first character I decided to tackle was Pirate Stanley's sidekick, Squiddles. Here's his initial sketch: 

Here's a more refined sketch, actually closer to what the final puppet looks like:

 

Using the sketches, I start developing patterns. Here's the initial pattern idea for his head:

 

 

 I used some cheap green 1/2" foam from the fabric store to make a mock-up of Squiddles' head:

 

 

 Now with mock-up tentacle and mantle:

 

 

Once I decided on the final patterns, I trace them all out onto foam rubber. The tentacles, mantle and hands are made of 1/2" foam. The head pieces are made of 1" foam.

 

 

 Here are the cut foam pieces:

 

  

Using Weldwood Contact Cement, I began joining the pieces together.

 

With the mantle attached to the head, I started getting an idea for tentacle placement.

 

 

Over the years, I've gotten better about lining the insides of my puppets not only for the comfort factor, but also to increase the puppet's durability. This is sort of a shot of the head lining insert.

 

 

Specially made pockets for arm rods are placed inside the palm of the foam hand.

 

 

Here are glued pieces. If I had done proper research, I would have known that squids have ten appendages: 8 tentacles and two longer arms with hands. I assumed that squids had the same number of total appendages as octupi. I also thought each tentacle had a hand attached. Eventually, I got rid of the superfluous hands and added two tentacles.

 

  

Once work on the foam was completed, I dyed two yards of Antron fleece to the desired color. Then I began the arduous task of covering the foam pieces with fleece. With the head, great care is taken to get that nice curve around the corners of the mouth.

 

  

  

The tedious task of hand stitching spots and tentacle suckers!

 

 

 

  I had to make 40 of these:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

And here's the finished Squiddles! I'm really proud of how this guy turned out.

 

 

 

  

  His eyes are made from two oversize ping-pong balls I bought at Spencer's Gifts. They were designed as gag beer pong favors, but I scooped up all I could find for puppet eyes!

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

JURY DUTY!

Over the last 8 days, I had to fulfill my civic duty by serving as a juror at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta. Most of us have been through this process. First you receive your invitation (summons) to attend the "jury pool party" on the 7th floor of the courthouse. The day prior to your summons date, you call to find out if your jury section has been dismissed. In most cases they are. However, I was not going to be so lucky this time. I did, in fact, have to wait with the rest of the prospective jurors on the 7th floor until my number came up. Number 29 to be exact.

 

40 prospective juror names were called and we were shuffled down to the second floor and we sat in rows of ten before Judge Susan Forsling, who began the process of jury selection. This was to be a civil case between a plaintiff and a defendant. Lawyers for both sides began asking questions of the jury pool and then we were asked to individually introduce with our names and occupations to the court. Right then I knew I was a "sitting duck in a jury pool," having no ties to the medical or legal professions. When I told the Judge I was a puppeteer, she lit up. "Tell us all about THAT!" she said.

I could tell my fate as a juror was sealed.

 

Over the next 8 days we heard the case which involved a worker (the plaintiff) who was seeking damages for employer negligence on a job site where he reportedly was exposed to dust and fumes from fiberglass work such that they caused him permanent harm and rendered him incapable of further employment.  Lengthy testimony was given by medical experts for both sides. The plaintiff's obviously saying he had certain issues which were caused by his exposure on the job site; the defendant's experts who said none of his medical workup backed up his claims of symptoms. A lot of medical terminology was thrown all over the courtroom, encircling the heads of the jurors and we had to make some sense of  it all. The same was true of co-workers and safety experts from the job site who spent a great deal of time talking about safety protocol for workers. A plethora of acronyms were continually thrown at the jury on a daily basis.

 

We spent a lot of time in the jury box listening both to live witnesses and written depositions. I was amazed at how exhausted I would be at the end of any given day, just from sitting and listening. Concentration became flat-out taxing. And what has always helped me concentrate, from the time I was small until now, is doodling. What follows are my courtroom jury box doodles. All coloring was done in the jury room, not in the courtroom, lest you think Atlanta is so lax in form to allow Crayolas.

 

See if you recognize these familiar (or maybe not-so familiar) characters:

 

 

 

 

By mid-day of our seventh day, both sides had stated their case and given closing statements. We were charged to consider the evidence and deliberate and render a verdict. I learned never to leave the room after deliberations begin because, upon returning I learned that I had been made Jury Foreman. Lucky me. My experience with public speaking, I suppose.

 

As a jury, we were definitely a unique group coming from a variety of backgrounds, ages, occupations, etc. But there were no hostile exchanges while deliberating and we took the time to hear out everyone's particular opinions on the case based on the facts. It turned into quite the discussion. Ultimately, we felt that the plaintiff's medical records were inconclusive and did not hold up to expert scrutiny. (We even had the doctor who wrote the first paper identifying the condition the plaintiff claimed to be suffering from and he was especially unconvinced). We also did not feel his employer was negligent when it came to worker safety. Based on those elements, we unanimously found in favor of the defendant.

 

As foreman, my name was read into the record and I pronounced the sentence. I also had to sign as foreman on behalf of the jury on our verdict. So, now my name will be associated with this case on the record. Its one thing to serve on a jury, quite another, I have found, to realize that forever by name, you're associated with it.

 

 

This was our wonderful bailiff, Deputy Walker. She took care of us all week. And, in some cases, kept some of us awake during the trial...

 

The Honorable Judge Susan Forsling, who said that having her picture made with Norbert was

 "a highlight in (her) career."

 

Incidentally, like the Crayolas, Norbert did not make an appearance in the courtroom, just the jury chambers. Judge Forsling said were he ever called to serve on a jury, she'd make Norbert sit next to her. By Georgia law, it'll be at least 18 months before I can be called to serve again, so Norbert and Judge Forsling will just have to wait.

Remembering Jane Henson

I first met Jane Henson when I was 16 years old at the National Puppetry Festival of the Puppeteers of America, held in San Francisco in 1993. As a teenager from a small Alabama town, to me, she was an intimidating figure as the Muppets' matriarch. But she was nice enough to pose for a photo with me and sign my festival program. Little did I know in the years to come she would prove to be a true friend and supporter of my work.

Now, my story's going to get a little controversial for some die-hard Muppet fans, but sometimes the journey of life leads us in strange directions. I really met Jane during some auditions the Walt Disney Company (which had acquired the Muppet Show characters) was conducting for the purpose of finding understudy puppeteers for 4 of the main Muppet characters. I was encouraged by several of the Henson family to audition and traveled to New York for the open call. There were three elimination rounds: part one was simple lip-synch to a song, part two was performing for camera frame and lastly, voice match. I made it through two rounds of elimination. But before I could give my vocal audition, lunch was called. On the way back in from lunch, I saw Jane start walking up the stairs toward the audition room. She saw me and I said hello and introduced myself. She remembered seeing an adult piece I performed at a Puppeteers of America Festival Puppet Slam. “You did something risque,” she began. I told her the title of the piece and she commented “Soft core!” And now she was going to sit in on my audition. I was going to have to audition my best Muppet voices in front of Jane Henson.

Nervous?

Quite.

But my feelings of intimidation proved unfounded. She had a smile on her face the entire time.

With Heather Henson during Disney Muppeteer training workshops

At the same time Disney/Muppets were auditioning, Sesame Street was also scouting new talent. I was called to participate in a week-long training/audition session in New York for potential Sesame performers. Again, some controversy. Based on the strength of my voice audition for Kermit and Fozzie, Sesame wanted me to stay an extra day to audition for Bert and Ernie. Now, I can't explain Sesame's or Muppets' specific reasons for auditioning talent for characters with established performers because I simply don't know. What I can say is that as a young performer, I took advantage of an opportunity that was presented to me. You learn that often in this business, if you say “no,” your phone will stop ringing. There were several of us called in for the Sesame duo and Jane was present for the whole day. At one point, while performing Ernie, Jane stood up and asked “Who do you prefer, Ernie or Bert?” I said that was a hard question since I liked them both for different reasons. I asked her “Who do you like me as?” She immediately shot back with, “I'm not about to answer that question.” However, I said that if I had to choose, it would be Ernie because of his playfulness. She nodded and sat back down. A little while later, I did a scene with Bert and then sat down next to Jane. She leaned over to me and whispered “You know, I kinda like you as Bert, too!”

Up to this point, Jane had only seen my work in the context of Muppets/Sesame characters but had not seen any of my live shows. Heather Henson and her IBEX company started a puppet festival in Orlando, FL. I was honored to be a guest performer for the first two of these annual puppetry extravaganzas. The second year, Jane was in attendance. During that Sesame cattle call, my gut had begun screaming that I needed to move to New York and pursue my dream of becoming a Henson puppeteer. Friends wouldn't dissuade me and my gut wouldn't let up. So, by the time of IBEX's festival, it had become common knowledge that I was going to make the move to New York. I found a moment to sit next to Jane and ask her about the move she and Jim made to New York in the 1960's. She said the impetus for them was the cancellation of “Sam and Friends” as well as a contract for regular appearances on the Today Show, which shot in New York. Had they not had the opportunity she thought they probably would have stayed in the Washington DC area, where they had quite a following..

After one of my performances, she came up to my stage and said “I want to have lunch or dinner with you. I want to find out what you hope to accomplish by moving to New York.” Well, I had no idea what to make of that. Did she think I shouldn't move to New York? Much fretting on my part ensued. The last night of the festival, I gave my final performance. There was a question/answer session after the show. A lot of people were asking me questions knowing I was moving to New York and thinking I was permanently concluding my career as a touring puppeteer. In many ways, I thought maybe I was, too. I had no idea what the future held but the urge to make a go of being a television puppeteer was too strong to ignore. As people were leaving and I was striking my stage, Jane asked that I join her for dinner at a Thai restaurant nearby. I threw my gear in my van as fast as I possibly could and sat down for some pad thai with Jane. After a few moments talking about one of the shows that day, she looked me dead in the eye and said “You're so much like Jim.”

 

What had she just said? I could barely process it.

She went on,” Part of it is your Southern sensibility..and your banjo playing! Jim had Kermit play the banjo, but I'm sure he would have.” And later, “I wish Jim could have known you and you could have known Jim.”

For the next two hours, Jane and I had a candid conversation about my work. Jane had a reputation for being a very protective mother figure for the Muppets and the Muppet style of puppet. Of course, because of their popularity, they are mercilessly emulated and imitated. I make no bones about my Muppet influence but ultimately never desired to copy their work, only to integrate their influence with my own ideas. To that, Jane commented,”There are very few people who I endorse using the Muppet style. But you're so sensitive to that style, the timing and the construction of the puppets. I have no problem with you using the Muppet style.”

And all that anxiety about her New York question was dismantled when she plainly stated: “Of course you need to move to New York.”

I lived in Brooklyn for about a year and a half, working for “SeeMore's Playhouse,” a safety-themed PBS puppet series, and “Sesame Street.” Occasionally, paths would cross with Jane and the Henson family. Magical times seemed always to ensue in their company. And Jane was pleased that I was finding work opportunities in New York. Ultimately, however, the work ran out and with it, the money to afford the high cost of big city living. Though accomplishing all my childhood dreams of working as a Henson puppeteer, I had to face the reality that it was time to move back to Atlanta, dust off my touring gear and make a living.

Performing Shades Wolf for "SeeMore's Playhouse"

photo by David Fino

Performing an Anything Muppet during season 39 of "Sesame Street"

In the fall of 2008, I found myself in East Haddam, CT as a puppeteer for the debut of Goodspeed Musicals and The Jim Henson Company's collaborative effort: a musical adaptation of “Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas.” It was also at this time that, once again, I got phone calls from Sesame Workshop regarding doing some work as Ernie. Well, I was torn. Do I say no and in so doing cut off any future chance for work with them or say yes and risk offending the very performers whom I so admire? It was an awful position to be placed in and I was at a loss for what to do. When asked, Jane was pretty clear on how she saw it. “Well, I think you need to grow thicker skin.” But she also was quick to cast her vote of encouragement. She also told me “You really are your own performer,” which helped me get back into doing my own work, creating my own characters and making my own opportunities.

Jane Henson with Jan and Jerry Nelson on opening night of "Emmet Otter"

Jane admitted that she loved a man with a beard because a beard seemed to draw attention to the eyes. During the second run of “Emmet Otter,” I had to shave my beard for a role in the show. I don't think Jane was too pleased with that alteration.

After my return to Atlanta from New York, Jane and Heather were in town for a fund raising event for the Center for Puppetry Arts. They invited me to sit at their table and I offered to pick them up at their hotel. I donned my best suit and thought a purple shirt and tie would be appropriate for the event. When I arrived at the hotel, Jane came out sporting a purple dress and shawl. We were perfectly matched for the evening.

In October of 2008, “Jim Henson's Fantastic World,”a touring exhibition of Jim's sketches and puppets curated by the Smithsonian, was hosted by the Atlanta History Center. For the opening festivities, I was asked to demonstrate TV puppetry so that visitors could experience performing in front of a camera and using a TV monitor, the method by which the Muppets have always worked. There were several History Center staffers who enjoyed joking around with puppets I had brought when Jane came by with Henson archivist, Karen Falk and Arthur Novell, past president of Jim Henson Legacy and longtime Henson associate. Suddenly, no one wanted to be on camera. Jane came over to the table of puppets, looked them over and asked me “Which one am I?” She grabbed Norbert, a purple monster character I use regularly. I grabbed another puppet and we proceeded to amuse ourselves and demonstrate TV puppetry techniques for onlookers. Seeing Jane pick up a puppet and perform, Arthur commented, “She never does this!” Though she had stopped performing regularly in the early 1960's, it was amazing how good Jane's techniques remained. It was as if she'd never stopped. And she commented on the similarity of my puppets to the early Muppets she and Jim made.

With Jane, demonstrating video puppetry at the Atlanta History Center

During a visit with Jane and Heather while “Jim Heson's Wonders From His Workshop” was being hosted at the Center for Puppetry Arts, a visitor asked Heather if I was her brother. Jane chuckled and Heather replied, “No, he's honorary family.”

Around this time, one of the musicians in Jack Parnell's orchestra who provided all the guitar/banjo tracks for The Muppet Show musical numbers had fallen ill and, facing rising medical costs, had decided to auction off several instruments. One of these included the very tenor banjo he had used on those Muppet Show sessions. The banjo had also been signed by Jim (and Kermit) and many of the guest stars on the show from the second season on. Heather had acquired this banjo for the Jim Henson Legacy (founded by Jane) after I had seen it up for auction. Heather remembered she had the banjo and brought it out while I was visiting. I normally play a 5-string banjo, which is tuned differently than a tenor model. But I got the hang of the basic chords. Then Jane and I sang “Rainbow Connection” on the very banjo which actually played that song for Kermit on the Muppet Show in Season 5.

Again, magic.

Autographed banjo by Jim, Kermit and many of the Muppet Show guest stars.

Jane was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and our visits became more infrequent. When they did happen, they were certainly no less memorable. During a visit with them one morning, Heather and I were in the kitchen and I asked if I could put the kettle on to make some tea. I filled the kettle and placed it on the stove. During our conversation, we noticed an odd smell. Smoke started rising from the bottom of the kettle and I immediately removed it form the eye and realized I had just ruined Jane's electric tea kettle. “That is SO funny!” Heather exclaimed. “We bought that for mom because she was always leaving pots of water on the stove, forgetting about them and burning the pot!” Then I came along and burned the kettle. I made sure a nice replacement was sent to her.

In 2008, I was awarded a Henson Foundation Family Grant to produce “The Reluctant Dragon.” After many concept revisions and tweakings, the show was finally ready for touring in 2011. I wanted to give the Foundation members an opportunity to see the show and Jane suggested that some performances be held in the Henson Carriage House on East 67^th Street. Puppets At the Carriage House or “PATCH” was unaccustomed to hosting family shows, but two shows were sponsored and well attended. Though the show did not include any of my banjo playing in it, Jane suggested that I play a few numbers before the start of the second show. It meant a lot that she was such a fan of my music.

With Jane after my shows at the Carriage House.

I saw Jane one last time in early March of this year. By this point, her body had succumbed to it's three-year battle with cancer. Though bed-ridden, she was still mentally her old self. When I called her to ask if it was ok to come see her, she said that would be fine. This visit was no different from our others. We laughed a lot, she smiled a lot and was genuinely interested in what was going on in my world. Though physically frail, her spirit and energy were still a very powerful force, almost as if, at any time she wanted, she could jump out of that bed and flip it over if she so chose. But anyone who knew Jane knew this about her. Though she could be quite timid and quiet, she had such power and presence. Though our visit was short, I was so glad to see my friend one last time to say goodbye.

How do you adequately thank someone for helping you become the person and professional you are? I am so grateful for Jane's friendship and her encouraging words and spirit that so many puppeteers were privileged to experience. To hear her laugh and to see her smile and twinkling eyes was to know joy. I will miss her laugh and her smile and all the warmth I felt in her presence.

Perhaps the greatest thing she said to me once was, “You are probably more talented than you know.” If ever there was anyone who could recognize talent, it was certainly Jane Henson.